[Winkx]: 330.Watching

Watching

   I had tried to suppress my laughter. I again was people watching from my normal park bench in Knothole City Central Park. I was more than content to watch as people walked by and pick up my note book and write about some of the characteristics I would see and habits I would notice. Some people, mostly women sad to say, had a slight weird glide or bounce to their step. And there were other things as well…like people watching me.

   I never noticed it at first. It took me a while and it didn’t help that he wasn’t watching only me. He would watch all sorts of people. It took me even longer to realize that he took pictures too. It didn’t matter what it was or even who it was, but he took pictures.

   I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that I’m not the only author who goes people hunting. I mean there are model agencies that go looking for their next top star or talent. I guess I just never noticed that I was being watched. I always caught him…he would constantly look at me. He always had a look of wonder and amazement.
After a while he got braver. He came up to my bench and sat down. He didn’t say anything or even acknowledge why he was there, but sat down and did his people watching. It took him two weeks to pluck up the courage to talk to me. It was a soft hello, but it started a three hour conversation. It started an amazing three hour conversation. I even learned his name. His name is Patrick. I never asked for a last name. I didn’t need one.

   We now have a strong friendship. Sometimes we have our conversations and sometimes we just people watch. Either way we……we have a friendship. It all started with our people watching. We even became so close that he let me see the pictures he had taken of me. It doesn’t bother me…I do it too, but I never became friends…with them. We’re friends and I’m glad…I’m glad I was watching.